OHMC 2014 Hidden Horror Contest Winners!

It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for — the winners of the Hidden Horror book contest have been chosen! I’m am pleased to announce that through a completely mysterious, scientific process (random name picker dot org, basically), the two people who will receive a copy of this indispensable reference guide are…[drum roll]…
Eric Duncan and Trevor Henderson (who I just found out does some pretty sweet horror art — check this out)! Congratulations to you both! I’ll send you each an email so I know where to send your book. Thanks to everyone who participated; entrants and their favorite horror films are below. I loved everyone’s picks and comments and reasons for the film (or films) they chose! Read on, pals…

Rafael Chandler: Martyrs, because it is utterly relentless in its brutality, and yet despite the wondrous gore, so much of the true horror is delivered off-camera. Can’t be specific, as that would be spoilerish, but this is a movie whose implications are as disturbing as the torture sequences. Which makes it a delightful film.

Eric Wincentsen: “Candyman”. The reason is because the “villains” are the most sympathetic characters in the movie, it’s genuinely frightening in spots and it feels like the source material was treated with respect.

Wendy K. Bodine: Right now, it’s got to be “Dawn of the Dead” (2004)–it was my first experience with fast zombies, and THAT scared the crap outta me! My only hope in the zombie apocalypse is that they’ll be nice, slow, Romero zombies. If they can run, I’m dead meat!

Eric Duncan: My Favorite Horror Film: Ravenous. The score alone in “the Devil’s Key” works to create atmosphere. The violence punctuates the claustrophobic setting to bring shock, something often lacking. There is also the brilliant commentary about how it is the colonizer who brings this terrible shit with him. It is the inspiration for the first game I attempted to write. How could it not be my favorite.

Nyarlotep Lovecraft: My favorite horror film is Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971) because is the best movie mankind has ever created. Is so good I can’t handle it. [favorite comment of the contest — ed.]

Kris: FREAKS, my mom and I watched that as one of our first movies into our horror movie nights we started when I was 6. Its a classic and I love Tod Browning.

Trevor Henderson: My favourite horror film is “Black Christmas”, as it’s the only film to still consistently scare me. The phone calls, what you don’t see, the constant howling wind, the quietness of the film. And that ending….All add up to a terrifying little film. It should be celebrated a bit more.

Eric Martin: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(original), because it is pure perfection, and blows my mind at the same level it did when I first saw it so many years ago.

Nathan Sheffield: A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 is my favorite horror film. While I do love the first one that started it all, I feel more of a connection with Dream Warriors. The actors and characters are likeable, and I’m sympathetic toward them. Nancy returning is a wonderful–and ultimately sad–highlight. But I enjoy horror films that can make me cry, make me experience something other than fear or laughter. There are some great effects, memorable lines, and the red and blue and green color scheme is beautiful. It’s a terrific movie that brings me back to the ’80s.

Sam Arshawsky: My favorite horror movie fright (believe it or not this was a typo I am not fixing) now is Martin. hitter Romero films, they don’t have the charm or style that is prevalent in Martin. It has a very personal feel in the writing, and enhanced in the very DIY style of the filming of the film. I also really love the way he decided to deal with vampirism, it’s easy to watch, sincere and surprisingly heartfelt; a lot of which is brought by the phenomenal performance of John Amplas. He manages to somehow, make Martin very sympathetic and likable, despite all the horrors he does through the film. That’s a hard thing to do in a movie. On top of all that the score is beautiful and doesn’t get the attention it deserves, it’s so good.

Mike Antonio: If I had to name only ONE favorite horror film I’d have to go with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It’s one of the first horror films I saw as a young kid and it left a lasting impression on me. After seeing it, the horror floodgates were opened.

Craig Mullins: Re-Animator has been my favorite since I saw it in the mid 80’s, because underappreciated genre filmmaker Stuart Gordon took what is generally considered to be H.P. Lovecraft’s weakest story, and turned it into an over-the-top cult classic, full of dark humor, medically accurate zombies, and Jeffrey Combs career defining turn as Dr. Herbert West.

Jason Ryan Kelly: The Thing (1982), because it not only had an amazing cast, a superbly developed story, and the unmatched physical FX of Rob Bottin, it made you wonder who was not what they said they were all the way to the end. Best horror film ever!

Jeanette Jackson: I have two favorites and both are by John Carpenter. The first is The Thing and the second is Prince of Darkness

Ankara Abulafia: Phantasm….the kid in the film was about my age when I snuck into a theater to see this movie. I think the fact that I identified with him as well as the fact that the film seemed SO ENTIRELY different and dreamlike for horror films out at the time.

Ronald Stepp: Two things, one was a movie I saw as a kid in Germany, a class Black and White Dracula flick, had all the classics, Vampire Castle, Village near the bottom with mandatory Inn with garlic necklaces hanging everywhere.. the castle itself contained the Vampire and his wives, at some point in the movie, the victim was lured into a room in the castle and then slaughtered rather horribly, gathering up all the blood…. gave me the screaming meemies for days..

The other was a TV episode, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the Space Vampire episode.. I think I was maybe 15 or 17 when it aired… this literally gave me nightmares..

Matt Sanchez: A Tale of Two Sisters, the Korean flick about two sisters living with a wicked step-mother. It’s been years since I’ve seen it but it’s still the only movie where I’ve spent most of the movie curled up in a ball in a theatre seat.

darren t.: Too many to pick but will go with the first one thought of which is The Birds from Alfred Hitchcock.

Will Arnold: The Exorcist is the only movie I will not watch after dark. I close my eyes trying to sleep after watching it and all I see is possessed Regan. The hardest part to watch in the moment, though, is when they’re doing all the medical tests on Regan. Horrifying.

Ned Leffingwell: Jacob’s Ladder is my favorite horror film. If that really happened to me I would be messed up! Great psychological horror and creepy fx.

Edward Lockhart: Cabin in the Woods or the original Night of the Living Dead or Red State. I can’t really choose. All three are really tightly constructed, stunningly original, and just good damn films. Red State is probably the most frightening. Nothing is quite so scary as reality.

Terry Olson: I have to go with The Devil’s Backbone. It is my favorite Ghost Story and has an overall creepy feel. The underlying tension of a bomb sitting in the schoolyard is awesome. I am also amazed at how good the child actors are. Definitely a favorite for me!

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Thanks again to everyone here for participating! This was a bunch of fun, and something I’ll definitely do again in the future. Watch this space!